This post was originally written in Jan 2008 but for some reason I never published it. Having stumbled upon it now, especially in the ‘interesting’ financial times that we find ourselves in, I thought I would throw it out there. - Rob

I am currently reading a book by Richard Foster; Money, Sex and Power. Written some years ago now, it looks at how we can formulate a proper Christian response to these three issues. Three issues, he suggests, that are crippling the modern Christian as we just don’t know what to do with them.

I’ve just finished section one; Money, and it has given me some food for thought. The main thrust of the discussion is to challenge the most popular view of money in the contemporary Church. That is that money is neither good nor evil, and that all that matters is what one does with it.

A different view of money.

This has been my view on the subject so I have found it interesting, and somewhat uncomfortable to have it challenged. Foster suggests that Money has a spirit all of it’s own. That it does, but it’s very nature, seek to control us and seeks our service and worship. Foster goes on to how we, as Christians, need to discover how we can enslave money for the use of the Kingdom of God.

Which master do we serve?

How do we know then if we are serving the idol Mammon? Examine the financial decisions you make. Do you buy what you want or what you need? I did have a perfectly good Sony MP3 player but now have an incredible sexy iPod Touch so this is definitely one for me to consider. When buying a house is the first question; what can I afford? What area can I afford to live in? How many bedrooms / bathrooms can my budget stretch too? Or is the first question; where does God want me to live? How many bedrooms / bathrooms do I need? You can of course apply this to the new car or holiday destination etc etc.

Are such decisions dictated first by the size of our savings and credit limit or are they dictated by God? I’m not suggesting that new cars are bad, that we shouldn’t buy a bigger house or go on holiday. Not at all. But the challenge to me has been to look at my decision making process when I am using my money. If the amount of money I have is dictating to me how my money is being spent then Foster suggests that Mammon has a hold that he shouldn’t have.

Being a good steward

Having money in itself isn’t a bad thing (be clear too that it’s not necessarily a sign of God’s blessings either, though it can be). We are called to be good stewards and as both Lewis and Willard have impressed upon me previously (Mr Foster joins the list now too) if we simply give it all away then this cannot fulfil that calling. We cannot steward, after all, what we do not have. Giving, however, is how we enslave Mammon.

All the power that money has over us is derived from the fact that we strive to get it. By fair means or foul money is “earned”. If, therefore, we are able to give it away we can then break this hold and power over us. Foster discusses some interesting ways of giving; And not just to “Christian” causes. We are called to invest in the Kingdom; to invest in what lasts. Some suggestions included, of course, regular, planned, giving to your church. Also, to be able to give reactively is encourage. One suggestion that I hadn’t herd before was to have a long term plan or budget for giving. i.e. I want to give x pounds to such and such a charity over the next 10 years and I am going to make it possible by investing in y way. etc etc. Giving to individuals, maybe to help fund education, medical bills, or some other need is also an option. It’s also worth remembering that a key aspect of giving is not to have to dictate how it is spent.

Slavery for the Kingdom

Jesus makes it clear that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot server both God and Mammon. It is simply not possible. He commends shrude investment and even uses some very confusing phrases like; “make friends with unrighteous Mammon”, but there is not time to go into that one now.

Money is a dangerous customer that, when enslaved for the Kingdom, can be used to do a great deal of good. But always, Foster encourages, we must be on our guard. For even if we have conquered it; Mammon will attempt to counter attack. It is a dynamic spirit that will always seek to regain a foot hold.

Hopefully this has given you a taste. This first section has left me with some interesting challengers to consider. Be shrude, be eager to give, live simply thinking about what I need not just what I want, and be sure that my decision are made as a response to God and not as a result of how much money I think I have available. Money is there to be conquered and to serve me in my pursuit of the Kingdom of God, not the other way around.